Frances Slocum State Park

Hiking   -  Mountain Biking   -  Picnicking   -  Swimming   -  Boating   -  Fishing   -  Hunting   -  Education   -  Sledding   -  Ice Fishing   -  Ice Skating   -  Organized Group Tenting   -  Camping

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Picnicking: Picnic areas are available year-round. Picnic facilities include drinking water fountains, restrooms, garbage and recycling receptacles, charcoal grills and charcoal disposal pits. All areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Three ADA accessible picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Make a reservation.

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Swimming: The swimming pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, unless posted otherwise. A seasonal snack bar has fast food and beverages.

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Boating: electric motors only
The 165-acre Frances Slocum Lake has two boat launches, two mooring areas and courtesy docks. A boat concession rents rowboats, paddleboats, kayaks and canoes.

Motorboats must display a current boat registration. Non-powered boats must display one of the following: boat registration; launching permit or mooring permit from Pennsylvania State Parks, available at most state park offices; launching permit from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Complete information on boating rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

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Fishing: The 165-acre Frances Slocum Lake is a warm-water fishery. Common species are crappie, bluegill, perch, catfish, muskellunge, pickerel, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye and stocked trout. Ice fishing is permitted. An ADA accessible fishing pier is between Picnic Pavilion Three and the main boat launch.

Complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

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Hunting and Firearms: About 700 acres are open to hunting. 350 acres are open to archery hunting. 350 acres in the west side of the park are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, waterfowl, turkey, rabbit and squirrel.

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner's car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

Complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

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Hiking: 13 miles of trails

Bluebird Trail: 0.5 mile
This trail passes through field and mixed forest habitats in the northern portion of the park.

Buck and Doe Trails: 0.8 mile and 0.3 mile
While skirting stone walls and old fields and passing through stands of pines, these trails connect to Maconaquah Trail in several places.

Campground Trail: 1 mile
Campers can access this trail from the Stony Point parking lot or from behind the Organized Group Tenting Area. A short stretch of Campground Trail follows Larch Tree Trail.

Deer Trail: 3.2 miles
This trail starts at the environmental interpretive center and passes through a diversity of habitats including lakeshore, thicket, hemlock stand, mixed forest, marsh and hardwood forest.

Upper Deer Trail: 0.6 mile
This trail parallels Deer Trail through a mixed hardwood hillside.

Frances Slocum Trail: 0.7-mile
This loop trail begins and ends at the boat rental parking lot. On this trail hikers can see beautiful forests and the rock shelter where American Indians temporarily held their small captive (Frances Slocum).

Hilltop Loop Trail: orange blazes, 0.7 mile
The trailhead is on Green Road. Hilltop Trail is the starting point to access all trails on the western side of the park or can be hiked as a short loop.

Lakeshore Trail: 1.4-mile
This trail begins at the Campground Road bridge or the Big Pines Picnic Area and follows the lake shore. It is popular with shore anglers.

Larch Tree Trail: 2 miles
This hilly trail loops around the northeast corner of the park and through a large stand of larch trees.

Macanaquah Trail: 2.5 miles
This trail begins and ends on Carverton Road and intersects other trails.

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Mountain Biking: 4 miles of trails
Over four miles of trails are available in the western part of the park. Trails range in difficulty from easiest to more difficult. Bikers should respect other riders and hikers when using designated trails. All mountain biking trails are designated with red blazes.

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Stay the Night

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Camping: flush toilets, warm showers, electric hook-ups
A 100-site campground, with 15 walk-in tent sites, and 85 tent or trailer sites (some ADA accessible and some with electric hookups), is available from the second Friday in April through the third Sunday in October. Each site contains a picnic table and fire ring. Flush toilets, showers, drinking water, sanitary dump station and boat launch are available. Pets are permitted on designated sites.

Explore the campground map.

Explore camping for more information.

Make a reservation.

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Free Camping for Campground Hosts: 1 host position
The campground host sites amenities include 30 and 50-amp electric service, with water and sewer hookup. Contact the park office for additional information and availability.

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Organized Group Tenting: Organized groups can rent this modern area, which can accommodate up to 40 people. The camping area has drinking water, fire rings, picnic tables, flush toilets and shower facilities.

Explore organized group tenting for more information.

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Winter Activities

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Explore the Winter Report for the current snow and ice depths. The lake ice thickness is not monitored. For your safety, be sure the ice is at least four inches thick and carry safety equipment.

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Cross-country Skiing: When conditions permit, the campground road and day-use areas are popular for skiing.

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Sledding: A good slope is west of the swimming pool.

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Ice Fishing: Ice fishing is permitted on the entire lake.

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Ice Skating: When conditions permit, ice skating is permitted on the frozen lake.

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Environmental Education and Interpretation

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Natural, cultural, historical and recreational programs are conducted by a park environmental educator from March through November. The park provides environmental education and interpretive programs that usually begin at the campground amphitheater from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Curriculum-based environmental education programs and teacher workshops are available to area schools.

An environmental interpretive center in the day use area features exhibits on American Indians and ecological topics.

Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.

Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.

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Access for People with Disabilities

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If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

 

Frances Slocum

The park is named for Frances Slocum, a young girl who was kidnapped by American Indians. Frances was one of ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Slocum. This Quaker family lived on what is now North Street in Wilkes-Barre.

On November 2, 1778, a small group of Delaware Indians entered the Slocum home and carried away Frances who was then just five years old. The first night after her abduction was spent in a crude shelter under a rock ledge along Abraham Creek, believed to be within the state park boundary. Frances tried to escape during the first night but was soon recaptured. Frances was taken along as the Delaware Indians moved westward and spent the rest of her life with them.

Fifty-seven years after her abduction, Maconaquah, who could not remember her original name, told her story to a traveling merchant, who sent word back east. Several years later the brothers and a sister got the news and traveled to investigate. They found Frances Slocum living on a reservation near Peru, Indiana. She had been married twice and had borne four children. Frances refused the pleas of her brothers to return to Pennsylvania. The brothers wrote to her and learned many of the details of her abduction and life with American Indians.

Frances Slocum died in Indiana in 1847, at the age of 74. Mississinewa Lake in Indiana contains the Frances Slocum State Recreational Area and Lost Sister Trail. Along the Mississinewa River in Indiana, there is a monument that marks the final resting-place of Frances Slocum, also called Maconaquah, the “Young Bear.”

Park History

Frances Slocum Lake was created to control flooding. Picnicking areas and the dam were constructed and opened in the spring of 1968. In 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes devastated large areas of the adjacent Wyoming Valley. Frances Slocum State Park was closed to the public and 280 families moved into temporary houses in the park until their homes were restored. After the last family moved out, the park reopened to the public in June, 1974.

Keep in Touch

Add yourself to the DCNR's online community to receive info on this park, or parks in general.

Volunteering

Like to spend time in the outdoors, meet friendly people and help make Pennsylvania State Parks great? Volunteering at a park might be for you.

Becoming a Conservation Volunteer is easy.

• Sign up to be a Conservation Volunteer
  OR
• Contact your local state park directly and ask for the Conservation Volunteer coordinator - you'll be hooked up with an interesting and appropriate project in Pennsylvania's natural resources.
   

Scouts and organized groups can earn free camping by completing service projects.

Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

Believing that each generation is responsible for leaving behind a better legacy of good conservation, the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) was created in 1999 to give supporters and users of Pennsylvania's parks and forests a positive way to contribute to the conservation of our publicly-owned properties. The Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation welcomes the support of individuals and businesses who share a commitment to conserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural, scenic, and recreational areas of this commonwealth. www.paparksandforests.org

Make a Donation

To a park - find this park's address below

To a park or the Bureau of State Parks - Pennsylvania Parks and Forestry Foundation www.paparksandforests.org

Through a purchase at a park gift shop

Thank you for your support!

Education Programs

We love when young people ask us how to get involved!

DiscoverE has programs for young people ages 4 to 17, provided by Pennsylvania State Park educators. By combining recreation and education, we hope to motivate children to learn more and return often, leading to a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment and conservation leadership. 

In Watershed Education, teachers and students assess water quality of a local stream on a quarterly basis and develop strategies to solve local water quality problems. 

ECO Camp - Exploring Careers Outdoors - is a week-long residential camp for a cross-section of high school youth from across Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Participate in action-packed, hands on activities and recreational adventures in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests that expose youth to conservation, recreation and careers in natural resources. Learn how people make a living working in the outdoors.

Explore education for more information on these and other programs.

Explore the Calendar of Events to find a program near you.

iConservePA

Do you take conservation personally? iConservePA is a Web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors. Take conservation personally.

Come Work with Us

Pennsylvania State Parks and the Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources offer a wide range of civil service and non-civil service jobs, from foresters, to rangers, to engineers, to educators, to botanists and so much more. Learn what is currently available.

Tell us What You Think

Contact this park with compliments, concerns and issues about the park.

Frances Slocum State Park

Nearby Attractions

Information on nearby attractions is available from the Luzerne County Convention and Visitors Bureau. www.tournepa.com

Two nearby state parks, Lackawanna and Ricketts Glen, offer camping and other attractions.

Maps and Downloadables

Below are many of the maps and publications for this park. You can read them or download them and might need special software (all free) to view the publications.

You must have the free Adobe Reader to view the maps and brochures that are in pdf format (.pdf).

Alternate versions of the text of the brochures are in rich text and text formats. Click on the files to view them. To download (.rtf) files:
For Windows users, right click on the link then left click on "Save target as" to download the file to your computer. For Mac users, hold down the "Options" button and click on the link, then select "Save" to download the file to your computer.

Recreational Guide

Frances Slocum State Park Map (.pdf) (489 kb, 3/11)
Frances Slocum State Park Recreational Guide (.pdf) (292 kb, 3/11)
    large print version of the guide text (.rtf)

Interactive GIS Map

The Interactive GIS Map uses Geographic Information Systems to create a map that does not need to be downloaded and features driving directions, searchable park amenities and customizable maps. Please note that the background maps are maintained by a variety of public sources and driving directions usually go to the nearest large road.

Campground Map

Frances Slocum State Park Campground Map (.pdf) (1,697 kb, 3/13)
    large print version of the brochure (.rtf)